( closed. )

[apoptotic]

CHARACTERS: skywalkers + other poor souls
DATE: backdated to padmé's arrival. sort of.
WARNINGS: will update if necessary
SUMMARY: guardian and ward adopt new mom. then drunk uncle pops by.

chihiro

[ neither the ride over nor walking through the door nor having met padmé on the steps of the hospital drives the reality of the situation in. not as much as leading padmé into the living room, anakin's fingers wrapped around hers as if she would slip again from his reach were he not anchoring her to him, and spotting a child's red backpack leaning against the wall as if wilted. a backpack that used to carry school supplies until it proved the site of an outbreak and was quarantined. since repurposed to carry supplies from rare runs when they needed with stern instructions to follow his orders — run, hide — no matter what those were. he promised her his protection too. ]

Come on. [ anakin gives padmé's hand a little tug when he looks to her. he wonders what she's seeing. her love is a beating heart in the force. he can feel it. he can also feel her doubt as if a mist enshrouding her. he leans in to press a sweet kiss to her cheek, and lets go of her hand. ]

There's someone I'd like you to meet.

[ the only light in the room comes from the overhead bulb. anakin boarded the windows early. no one would be able to get into the house without his sensing it; nor would they get far inside without a lightsaber at their neck. but with a child in the house anakin thought it best to take the precautions.

the already furbished space adopted the look of an office under papers annotated in galactic basic and japanese, much of it translated from english. information on the disease; measures taken; meticulously compiled lists of supplies. ( the photographs anakin kept far from chihiro's reach and sight. she's a smart girl, capable. she has no need to see the worst. )

anakin senses her in the kitchen. more, he hears the sound of running water, something padmé surely picked up on too. to the kitchen he leads her, she still wearing his jacket. at the doorway, he calls chihiro's name. ]

We have another transfer to the team, [ he tells her as he approaches her, and anakin finds it hard to fight off a smile whenever he looks at padmé. ] Her name is Padmé. She'll be staying with us.

Padmé, [ he claps a hand on chihiro's shoulder, ] this is Chihiro. She's one of my students. And for purposes of a cover here, she's my ward.

[ you wanted children right, he asked as he forged padmé's name on the adoption papers. ]

loki

[ it’s nothing. a friend coming over for drinks, conversation. after what happened with percy, with everything yet left to do, they all could use a little time to unwind. the timing worked out near perfectly: the house contains only anakin and padmé; he dropped off chihiro with friends earlier in the day with the promise to pick her up when she calls. the streets are marginally safer, but not that safe as to let her wander unaccompanied.

rather than look forward to the chance to drink for an hour, anakin finds himself infected with a strange nervous energy. it’s everything he wanted ( not exactly ), and he gets to present his wife to his friend ( without using the word “wife” yet, yes ), and he’s excited, and it’s so new, so utterly silly—

when he hears the doorbell, he leaves the pile of papers he had just finished clearing off of the coffee table onto the floor next to the wall. ]

I’ll get it. [ he kisses padmé on the cheek as he walks past her. anakin answers the door barefoot. his hair wants cutting. for anyone not frequently around the house, he looks different in clean sweats and out of either the jedi robes or a professional suit.

he looks…almost content.

his eyes find the bottle almost immediately. ]

Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is.

Comments

[onethousen]

( chihiro has already turned around at the sound of hsi voice. the pair of feet on the floor is another hint at how unusual it is; she still remembers the empty bed back in Perdition's Rest. no one ever took the space that had been meant for Luke.

the dishtowel is in her hands, held in front of her as she looks up at the woman she has no reason to recognise. she smiles, a small, subdued affair. tries to bow even with Anakin's hand on her shoulder; a lifetime of habit yet unbanished as she stands there barefoot and considering. )

It's nice to meet you, Padmé-san.

( she tries her best with her name, only stumbling over it a little as she wraps her tongue around the sounds. )

[selfimage]

[ it's nothing that he hasn't done before, or, at least, told himself that he hadn't done before. with the Young Avengers there was always his underlying ambitions screaming in his ear, but they were nothing but a faded whisper now. sometimes, he could hardly hear them at all. while he wasn't entirely set in this friendship thing, Anakin made it easy enough to forget about that, where affection was tossed between teases and meaningless barbs.

when Anakin opens the door and accuses him of something, Loki immediately looks scandalized. he leans in, hissing lowly. ] Come now, I didn't bring the mead. [ it's earned its own emphasis.

he takes a step back and straightens himself, dark nailed fingers tugging at the tie around his neck like nothing less than an exquisite gentleman. say all you will about his personality, Loki dresses up nicely. he's in black, suit and tie and button up, but makes it work in a way that doesn't scream funeral.

then, he exclaims: ]

Anakin! It's been so long!